Local News Reporter

Nancy on Norwalk (Official) • Full-time • Norwalk, CT, US • 1d ago

Full-time Journalist - Local Only

About Us

We’re expanding! NancyOnNorwalk is a nonprofit news service reporting since 2012 on civic affairs including government, politics, education and land use in Norwalk, CT, a diverse city of 91,000 people just outside New York. We are a trusted source of in-depth, unbiased reporting about issues and decisions that affect Norwalkers’ pocketbooks and their daily lives.

We are looking for an energetic, community-oriented journalist to be a key part of our local coverage. We especially want to beef up our reporting on planning and zoning and property development but if hired you’ll also help cover other local topics as well.

We’re looking for a full-time, experienced reporter interested in how decisions get made at the city level and how those decisions affect residents, neighborhoods and long-term economic sustainability.

The successful candidate will live in or near Norwalk or be willing to move here. This is NOT a remote or hybrid position, we want you to be part of the community.

Compensation commensurate with experience, range $55,000-$65,000.

Key Responsibilities

Short- and long-form coverage of agency and community meetings and events. This may include writing meeting set-ups and follow-ups, feature articles, analysis and long-term enterprise or investigative reports. You’ll also be expected to generate and pitch story ideas, not just work off assignments.
Write clear, straightforward, engaging news articles and features that explain what happened and why it matters. The expectation is at least one feature or enterprise piece a week and shorter articles as assigned.
Cover all aspects of city government and the community as needed, focusing on planning, zoning and land use, including development projects, housing issues, infrastructure and environmental impacts. This is an area of keen interest to our readers and offers an opportunity for you to have a major impact.
Attend meetings and public hearings - often in the evening - and community events.
Follow zoning and development issues over time, not just single meetings.
Build trust and develop key relationships with elected and appointed officials and staff in city agencies to be covered as well as with community stakeholders.
Take photos to accompany articles

Required Qualifications

Minimum three years’ experience reporting on local government or similar beats.
Ability to read and understand meeting agendas, land use and other applications, and other public documents in order to write clearly about their importance and impact.
Strong reporting skills, and ability to generate ideas and write clear, readable, accurate spot news and features. Accurate grammar and attention to detail.
Ability to work independently, stay organized and communicate effectively with management and within the NoN organization.
Willingness to work evenings and weekends as needed and to be out in the community regularly
Must live in or near Norwalk - while we don’t have an office this is not a remote position. A car and driver’s license are required.
Interest in fair, accurate, non-sensational local journalism

Preferred Qualifications

Prior experience with planning, zoning, or land development coverage
Familiarity with Connecticut government and policies related to cities
Comfort explaining complicated or technical topics to general audiences

Details

This is a full-time staff position.
We don’t have an actual newsroom so communication with the managing editor and other editorial staff is crucial.
Approximately 40-hour week, including coverage of evening meetings and some weekend events.
Salary commensurate with experience $55,000-$65,000
Benefits:
Two weeks’ vacation, 10 PTO days a year, to be used at the employer’s and employee’s mutual discretion. Opportunities to earn additional PTO.
Health care stipend may be available
Cell phone stipend

Submit resume and PDFs or links to 3 writing samples to jobs@nancyonnorwalk.com. Label your resume with your full name and include your name in the subject line of the email. If you submit PDFs they also should have your name in the filename. Be sure to let us know in your cover email why you would be the best person for this job.

Applicants of interest will be contacted by the managing editor. A tryout - meeting coverage or other story - may be requested, for which NancyOnNorwalk will pay a fee